Bush Causes Brains To Explode

[sierra_le_oli]

I really should stop being shocked. The following is from Britain and the Netherlands' great ally, George Bush:
"First, just if I may correct a misperception. I don't think we ever said -- at least I know I didn't say -- that there was a direct connection between Sept. 11 and Saddam Hussein."
The rest at the excellent Making Light.

Comments

[knell]

Neither do I. I can remember lots of talking around "supporting terrorist organisations" and 'supporting al-Qaeda", but I don't remember any direct claim that Saddam was involved with 9/11. It's all down to that tricksy difference between "what he actually said" and "what he wanted people to read into what he said".

[sierra_le_oli]

There is no tricksy difference, at least not unless the listener is a social incompetent incapable of understanding normal use of language. That Bush has been linking Iraq with 9/11 is crystal clear.

[gmh]

I suspect that the USG's comments on the subject do go beyond simple lie-by-omission and into active misdirection.

In September 2001, a US-based poll (for which I have no precise citations, alas, although I can probably dig them out) indicated that 3% of respondants believed that the Iraqi regime had anything to do with September the 11th.

By January 2003, a similar poll indicated that 44% of respondants thought there was a link.

To the best of my knowledge, Bush never did say that Iraq was responsible for 11/9/2001. What he did say was things like:

" We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th. What the Vice President said was, is that he has been involved with al Qaeda. And al Zarqawi, al Qaeda operative, was in Baghdad. He's the guy that ordered the killing of a U.S. diplomat. He's a man who is still running loose, involved with the poisons network, involved with Ansar al-Islam. There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties."
(17/9/2003

[kelvix]

hyperventilate..... gasp... can't breathe....

Long past exploded.

[anonymous]

*rolling eyes & deep sighs*

Love your blog.
http://mysocalledlifeinfrance.blogspot.com/